U.S. Launches Major Strikes As Iran Shuts Hormuz & Terrorists Embrace AI

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**Mike Baker** (0:37)
It's Monday, the 13th of July. Welcome to The Presidents Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. And yes, I am, in fact, still on the road. Thank you for asking. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is closed indefinitely after launching another attack on commercial shipping, prompting another round of US airstrikes. Well, what we have here is a failure to communicate. We'll have the latest. Later in the show, a troubling new report reveals that terrorist organizations are increasingly using artificial intelligence, or you and I know it as AI, to improve everything from battlefield tactics to operational planning. Plus, Ukraine is keeping the pressure on Russia's war machine, striking oil infrastructure and vessels in the Sea of Azov, as Russian attacks continue on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
In today's Back of the Brief, one of the Senate's most recognizable foreign policy voices is gone. Senator Lindsey Graham has died at the age of 71 But first, today's PDB Spotlight.
Over the weekend, Iran once again declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to commercial shipping after US forces carried out their largest round of airstrikes yet against Iranian military targets. The regime also expanded its own retaliatory strikes, launching missiles and drones toward multiple Gulf states hosting American forces, signaling that the conflict is no longer confined to direct exchanges between Washington and Tehran. The latest escalation began after Iran attacked yet another commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz. According to US. Central Command, the Cyprus-flagged container ship GFS Galaxy suffered significant engine room damage after being struck by Iranian forces, sparking a fire that forced the crew to abandon ship. India says one of its citizens, who was among the crew, remains missing. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, claimed the vessel had ignored instructions to follow an approved route through the Strait and was struck by what it described as a warning shot after disregarding repeated orders. Now, typically, warning shots don't actually hit the target, that's why they're called warning shots. Iranian officials later announced that the Strait of Hormuz was once again closed and declared that no vessel would be permitted to transit the waterway until what they called the end of US interference in the region.
President Trump responded by ordering another major round of strikes against Iran. According to US Central Command, American forces hit approximately 140 Iranian military targets on Saturday alone, bringing the total number of targets struck during the past three nights to more than 300 Now, as an aside, it is somewhat surprising just how many Iranian military targets remain to be hit after the US and Israel hit all those target packages that were reportedly taken out between February 28th and April 8th during Operation Epic Fury. This latest round of strikes targeted missile and drone launch sites, ammunition depots, communications infrastructure, naval facilities, coastal surveillance systems, all part of what CENTCOM described as an effort to further degrade Iran's ability to attack civilian shipping and commercial vessels operating in the region. Iranian state media reported explosions across several cities, including port facilities along the country's southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz. In response to US strikes, the Revolutionary Guard then announced attacks on military installations associated with the US across the Gulf region. Iranian officials claimed responsibility for strikes against command facilities and drone infrastructure in Jordan, radar installations in Kuwait, aircraft carrier support facilities in Oman and military sites in Qatar. The Iranian regime just making friends all over the Gulf. Qatar confirmed that falling debris from intercepted missiles injured three people, including a child. Bahrain and Kuwait activated their air defense systems after missile alerts were issued, while Jordan reported that three Iranian missiles landed inside its territory, causing minor property damage but no casualties.
Oman also reported drone strikes in its Musandam region, overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE, the United Arab Emirates, said its air defenses engaged incoming missiles and drones but reported that none entered Emirati airspace. Taken together, the attacks represent one of the broadest Iranian retaliatory operations since fighting resumed. Now, rather than focusing exclusively on American targets, Tehran appears increasingly willing to place additional pressure on Washington's regional partners in the Gulf states that host US military forces. Despite Iran's declaration that the Strait of Hormuz is once again closed, there does appear to be a discrepancy over what is actually happening in the waterway. While Tehran insists no ships will be permitted to transit the strait, US Central Command says commercial vessels continue to move through the strait despite those threats. Although it is unclear whether the movement is primarily along the Omani coastline, as opposed to the more established route that Iran now appears to control. Whether Iran intends to physically enforce that closure or is instead attempting to establish political leverage ahead of some potential future, perhaps, negotiations, well, that remains unclear. It's also unclear whether anyone still believes the narrative that there are negotiations to be had. The renewed fighting has, of course, further undermined what remained of last month's interim agreement or memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran. And I honestly didn't know that anything remained of that agreement or understanding. Ironically, the latest escalation came less than 24 hours after Iranian and Omani officials met to discuss maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz. Qatar also participated in those talks, and all sides at that time agreed to continue technical and political discussions aimed at reaching a common understanding over shipping through the waterway. But then, 24 hours later, another commercial vessel had been attacked. Iran declared the Strait closed, the US launched its largest strikes of the campaign, and Tehran retaliated across much of the Gulf.